Reasons why an introvert may not want to act like an extrovert

Let's say you aspire to a leadership position in your company. You have the time in your current position, and the background of practical experience in your role. Right now there is a supervisory or management position open. Your boss is looking for someone who speaks up in meetings and shares lots of ideas.

Immediately, your thoughts begin to focus on questions of how to be more vocal and speak your ideas out loud.

Is behaving more extroverted your best strategy now?

Each of us needs to decide how much energy we are willing to put into any changes that we believe will help us if we are interested in moving up in a work position. Depending on our comfort for change, then it may be useful to be more extroverted more often, when it is appropriate.

For example, maybe we would like the freedom to basically write our own paycheck and go into sales. Then could we tolerate adding more interacting with customers and other staffers with the quiet kind of product research that also goes into the role?

In the situation of a supervisory role opening up, would we want to be interacting more with people on a daily basis to get the perks of having the perks that go along with the responsibility of management?

The sales route worked well for me as a business track to that often-aspired management role. Even if I knew then what I know now, I would likely take the same route. Knew what? If I knew the prevalent thinking was, and still is; as an introvert I would not be suited for sales.

But you may or may not want to be in sales.

The biggest advantage of being in a sales-related position is to have the ability to write the amount of your own paycheck as this is directly related to your efforts. You help more people buy your products or services and you earn more. However, if money is not a big motivator for you, then rule out a career in sales.

Now back to your desire to have that vice-president-like title and role.

You do not have to act like an extrovert to succeed in business. This is not to say to ignore what might be your weaknesses. It is to suggest you direct your attention to leverage your strengths, which we will examine in Chapter 2, Identify and Count on Your Introvert Strengths.

The honing of our strengths approach outweighs trying to be something or someone we are not, nor care to be. Here is an example of what can happen when we start thinking the best approach is to use our strengths.

When I was in sales I wanted to be a sales manager. It so happened that a new location was being built and my managers were interviewing internally for the position. One of them told me flat out that I was too much of a loner and not enough of a team player to likely have management work successfully. But undeterred, and planning for this objection, I am confident my answer won over the last of the three people making the decision.

"If I may ask you John, what would be the main area in which you would want me responsible as your sales manager?" was my lead in question to further the discussion instead of being turned down.

"Look Patricia, we know you are the number one sales person, your numbers show that. But we would want you to turn many other sales people into star performers. How would you be able to do that?" John asked with a confidence that hinted he thought I might back off.

But I had planned for his objection, just as I was trained to plan for a customer objection during the buying and selling process.

I am convinced what I replied is what won him over to the other two yes votes for me as the new sales manager. What was my answer? It was a follow up to my original question to him.

I took a few seconds to gather my thoughts and looked at him to reply, "If you want more star sales performers, I'm confident I can both model and create a training program for other salespeople in my approach. Then in the training, they could adopt the key parts to their own style."

What I shared with him next were certain behaviors that my customers told me on the exit interview of a sale I knew I was engaging in that helped them decide to buy from me. I continued saying to him, "Based on what many of my customers tell me, they like that I focus on helping them to buy just the right product for their needs. They feel like when we talk I am listening to them, instead of just trying to sell them. So if what you want are more star sales performers, you'll get them with my training ideas and leadership."

We are talking about a more extroverted strategy of asserting ourselves confidently. Indeed we are the only ones who know as much as we do about our strengths. It is not a situation to be hesitant or shy, instead when a promotion is within your reach, shine the light on your strengths.

That was on a Friday and on the following Monday I got the telephone call of congratulations.

Think about how the conversation may have differed if I decided to, even with planning, focus on what he saw as my weakness.

It might have been more of a defensive strategy. I might have asked about training. We might have focused on how the company could support me in learning to be a team player as they viewed it. Over time, anyone can become better at what they are weak in. John and I likely would have agreed on these points. The thing I knew in this situation is that the three managers wanted a new manager on their team to build more superstars, and the sooner the better.

When we focus on using our strengths and innate abilities, we have to produce a broader or bigger benefit. Why? Because this raises our motivation to plan the best course of action so results are better in some way. That is what is called playing to your strengths.

With the promotion, training did help me develop leadership skills. I learned to manage meetings, make presentations that got results, manage conflicts, and build a better team. Indeed my awareness was raised about how taking advantage of my strengths helped me improve my weaknesses.

As you sort out your strengths, you will find you can count on them to get you through almost any business situation.